Radio/telephone system communication console stations are also known as control console centers. Control console centers are commonly employed to control several transceivers from a common location. Generally, the control console enables a dispatcher to integrate and control voice and data communications from both two-way radio channels and telephone lines. Such control console centers typically provide the operator with at least two speakers for transducing audible information. Generally, one speaker (select audio speaker) is used for monitoring a selected communication resource, either a radio or telephone call, and the other speaker (mix speaker) is used for monitoring a mix of nonselected communication resources. Each communication resource, radio channel or telephone line, has a dedicated portion of the console which includes an LED (light emitting diode) that blinks when a call is incoming on that resource. The operator then selects that resource to activate the call on the select audio speaker and handles the call accordingly.
Typically, control console centers are utilized by police and fire departments, airline controllers, utilities service, and emergency 911 operators. Thus, these console centers are usually operated in critical situations that could easily be life-and-death. Operators are continually receiving and making important telephone and radio calls that must not be lost. Many times, multiple calls simultaneously require attention at one console. Since consoles may easily handle over one hundred calls, it is virtually impossible for the operator to keep track of when the calls arrive in order to handle them in the order in which they arrived. If the operator guesses or picks up calls randomly, an urgent call can possibly be waiting for many minutes, which is highly undesirable since many of these calls are trying to draw attention to a critical situation. Even if only a few calls are incoming, reviewing the entire console for incoming calls could waste precious seconds that may mean life or death for someone.
When multiple lines ring at the same time on a console, some operators choose to pick up each call and immediately put it on hold before proceeding to handle each call individually. If too many calls come it at once, the operator may not be able to remember the order that the calls came in and consequently could delay an important call in a critical situation. Similarly, the operator may need to make an outgoing call quickly to provide emergency assistance. If many calls are at the console, it may take up to a minute to locate an unused resource. That minute could be a very costly minute in an emergency situation.
Accordingly, a method and apparatus to provide the operator with the necessary resources to quickly and efficiently handle multiple incoming communication resources simultaneously is desired.